Closure for mail-chutes.



No. 862,450. PATENTED AUG. 6, 1907.

J. W. CUTLER. CLOSURE FOR MAIL GHUTES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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INVENTOR PATENTED AUG. 6, 1907.

J. W. CUTLER.

CLOSURE FOR MAIL OHUTES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14. 1906.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

nucutoz No. 862,450. PATENTED AUG. 6, 1907.

-- J. W. CUTLER.

CLOSURE FOR MAIL GHUTES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.14.1906.

3 $HEETS-SHEET 3.

5Z5 AW I 6mm,

' Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New I UNITED STATES rugrnn'r I FFIGE.

JOSEPH WARREN CUTLER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CUTLER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CLOSURE FOR MAIL-CHUTES.

Patented Aug. 6, 1907.

Application filed'April 14,1906- Serial No. 311,625-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn WARREN CUTLER, of

York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Mail-Chutes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to improvements in mail chutes for conducting postal matter from different parts of a building to a suitable collection receptacle, and the object of this'invention is to provide an improved closure for controlling the mail-receiving openings in the chute whereby the chute, or parts thereof, may be closed to the public when desired or necessary by reason of repairs or other causes, the closure being under control of a lockwhich is accessible only to the proper authorities.

'To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully explained, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

i In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a rear elevation of a portion of a mail chute employing a closure constructed verse section respectively, showing a suitable locking 7 j receiving aperture is also operably mounted in this in accordance with my present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the closure removed from the chute. Fig. 3 represents a portion of the chute in section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a transverse section through the chute on the line 44 of Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 represent vertical sections on the line xa: of Fig. 1, the closure being shown respectively in closed and open positions, and Figs. 7 and 8 represent portions of a chute in side elevation and transdevice for the movable panel or door.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

The closure embodying my'invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with mail chutes employing a movable panel or other part which is under the control of a suitable lock for permitting the. proper officials to have access to the interior of the chute and the present embodiment is, for convenience, shown in connection with a chute of the 'type shown in my prior patent No. 758,128, granted to me April 26th, 1904, comprising generally, a body portion formed of the rear portion 1 and the two sides 2 and 3, the body portion being properly secured to brackets 30, or other suitable means, the latter in turn being fastened to a wall, or other suitable support 31, a panel 4, preferably provided with transparent portions, serving as a covering for the front of the chute, this panel being in the present instance hinged to the body portion of the chute at 5 so that it may be swung into open or closed position, the edge of the panel opposite to the hinge being provided with projections 32 arranged to cooperate with the cam slots 33 formed in a rociprocatory locking bar 6, the movement of the latter being produced by the handle 34 which is operatively connected to the bar by the projection 35.

Operation of the locking bar is controlled by a suitable lock embodying a circular notched disk 36 which, when in locked position, has a portion of its periphery resting in a recess in a corresponding disk 37 which is connected to the bar-operating handle, a removable key 38 which is in the custody of the properauthorities, serving to rotate the disk 36 until its notch will receive the periphery of the disk 37, and thus permit rotation of the latter which operates to reciprocate the locking bar, disengaging it from the projections 32 of the panel and permitting opening movement of the latter; The closure may be conveniently mounted on this panel, and it is so shown in the present instance, embodying a casing 7 which is open at its rear to the interior of the chute and provided preferably ,at its top with a suitable mail-receiving aperture 9, through which letters and other postal matter is passed into the chute. Within this casing is fitted a hopper or deflector embodying a plate 10 extending from the mail-receiving aperture obliquely toward the chute proper, the opposite edges of this plate, if so desired, being upturned to form lateral guides 11 and 12 for directing the passage of the postal matter into the chute, pickets or other suitable sharpened projections being preferably formed on this plate and extending upwardly and inwardly therefrom to limit the width of the passage through which the postal matter passes, these pickets serving to engage and prevent insertion of packages or parcels too large for the chute to receive. The closure for controlling the mailcasing, and in its present form the closure comprises a plate 13, formed preferably of sp'ringy or resilient material having its lower edge fixed to the lower edge of'the casing by the screws 14, the body of the closure when the latter is in open position, extending vertically to the top of the casing so as to close the opening at the rear thereof and thus form a continuation of the inner walls of the chute, producing an unobstructed passage for the postal matter descending through the chute. '.Thisclosure at its upper end is extended forwardly in a sub--;,

distance from the pickets 90 andvthe plates 10 when the closure is in open position. The devices employed in the present instance for retaining the closure in open or closed position, are provided by'bending up the pro- 5 jections ljl and from the material composing the cloj-' sure, these projections being-suitably spacedand arranged injthe line of movementoi the closure. Within the casing are arranged-preferably a pair of latches 21 and22 which are pivoted at 23 and provided with notches 24arrangecl to codp'erate'alternately with the corresponding projections 19 and 20.0n the closure when the latter is in open and closed positions respectively,

the ends of latches being preferably turned at an angle as at 25and' 26 to form handles'by-means of which these latches may be disengaged from the notches of the closure.- h l h w h Under normal conditions the-partsof the closure will occupy the relative positions shown in Fig. 6, the

' latches 21 and 22 codperating with the forward notches 19 on the spring operated closure to retain the.

" chute from one or more of the floors, the panel is unlocked by the key in possession of the proper authori-' ties and the locking bar is operated by its handle to release and permit the panel tobe moved into open position, and this will render the closure audits detaining devices or latches accessible at their inner or rear side.

By pressing the closure forward against its spring action the covering portion thereof will be -brought into position to close the mail-receiving aperture, and when the closure is operated in this way the rear projections 20 thereon will codperate with the inclinedsides of the projection 24 on the latches, causing the latter to be lifted and the projections 24 thereon automatically engaged behind them to retain the closure in closed position, and when it is desirable to-reopen the inaiLreceiving apertures it is only necessaryto unlock and open the panel and'then lift the latches by operating the handles 25 and 26 thereof, as this will disengage the latches from the rear projection 20 on the closure and permit the latter to spring rearwardly until the latches engage the forward projections 19, the latches serving to limit the rearward motion of the closure so that its rear surface forms a continuation of the interior surface of the chute when the closure is in open position, as well as to retain" the closure in closed position as above described. When the panel is. closed and locked, the closure and its latching devices are inaccessible from the exterior of the chute and consequently they cannot be tampered with by unauthorized persons, as the only means of access to these parts is controlled by a lock, the key of which is in the custody of the postal authorities. i 1 Of course it will be'understood that this invention is applicable broadly to various forms of inail chutes, re ceptacles and other mail service apparatus, and in carrying the invention into practice, it is by no means limited to use in connection with mail chutes of the particular kind shown, as I illustrate the present invention in connectionwith a patented form of chute merely for convenience in exhibiting one of the uses to which the invention may be advantageously applied, the invention being generally adapted for use in connection with those types of mail chutes'ernbodying a suitably secured door, panel or other movable'part by means of which the proper authorities can obtain access to the interior of the chute to enable operation of the closure, said door, panel or part being preferably secured or controlled by a suitable lock, and consequently not only is operation of the closure impossible except by or after the un'sec'hring or unlocking of a part of the chute, but this securing or locking feature of the closure is accomplished without the necessity of providing a separate securing device or lock for each closure, so that the construction oilmail service apparatus embodying a closure of this kindis simplified and cheapened, and-at the same time, the closure is accessible for operation only tothe proper authorities.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a mail receptacle having a mail-receiving aperture, of a closure having devices operable from the inside of the receptacle for holding the closurein open and closed positions relatively to the mallreceiving aperture. 1

2. The combination with a mail receptacle having a mail-receiving aperture therein, and provided with a movable part for affording access to the interior of the receptacle, of a movable closure for said aperture whose operation is dependent upon the position of said movable part.

3. The combination with a mall receptacle provided with a mail-receiving aperture, and having a suitably-secured part by means of which access may be had to the inside of the receptacle, of a closure for the mail-receiving aperture rendered accessible for operation by movement or removal of said part.

4. The combination with a mail receptacle provided with a mail-receiving aperture, and having a part under control of a lock bymeans of which access may be had to the receptacle, of a closure for the mail-receiving aperture locked from operation by the lock for said part of the receptacle.

5. The combination with a mail receptacle provided with a movable panel under control of a lock, of a closure for an aperture in the receptacle controlled in its operation by the lock for said panel.

6. The combination with a mail receptacle provided with a mail-receiving aperture, and having a part secured by a lock for controlling access to the inside of the receptacle, of a movable closure tor the mailreceiving aperture having devices accessible from the inside oi? the receptacle for positioning the closure'relatively to said aperture.

7. The combination with a mail receptacle having a mnil-receivlng aperture formed therein, of a closure mounted in a wall of the receptacle accessible for operation from, the inside of the receptacle and inaccessible for operation from the exterior thereof, and lock-secured means for controlling access to the inside of the receptacle.

8. The combination with a mail receptacle, and a -mov-' able panel controlled by a lock and having a portion thereof provided with a mall insertion aperture, of a closure operable from the inner. side of the panel and arranged to control the mail insertion aperture.

9. The combination with a mail receptacle, and a movable panel having a casing thereon open toward the interior of the chute and provided with a mail-receiving aperture, of a closure mounted in the casing and arranged to codperate with the mail-receiving aperture, and devices operable from the inner side ofthe panel for holding the closure in open and closed positions relatively to the aperture.

10. The combination with a mall chute having a casing formed in a wall thereof and provided with a mail-receiving aperture, of a closure for controlling said aperture embodying a plate having a portion arranged to cover and uncover said aperture, said plate lying flush with and forming a continuation of the inner surface of the chute wall when the closure is in open position.

11. The combination with a mail chute having a casing formed in a wall thereof and provided with a mail-receiving aperture; of a closure for controlling said aperture embodying a resilient plate having one end fixed and the other end provided with a portion arranged to cover and uncover the mail-receiving aperture, and a latch cooperating with said plate to retain the latter in open and closed positions.

12. The combination with a mail chute having a casing formed in a wall thereof and provided with a mail-receiving aperture, of a closure for said aperture embodying a spring-operated plate having a portion arranged to cover: and uncover said'aperture, and provided with spaced projections and a latch inclosed by. ,the casing and arranged to coiiperate with said projections to position the closure relatively to the aperture.

13. The combination with a mail chute, and a casing formed in one of its walls open at its rear to the inside of the chute and having a mail-receiving aperture extending ,to the exterior of the chute, of a closure mounted to operate in said casing to open and close the mail-receiving aperture, and latches arranged to cooperate with said closure to hold it in open or closed position, said closure and latches beingaccessible for operation only from the inner side of the casing.

- 14. The combination with a mail chute having a mailrecelving' aperture therein, of a closure arranged to open and close the mail-receiving aperture, and devices for positioning the closure relatively to the aperture, said closure and its positioning devices being accessible for operation from the inside of the chute, and a part controlled by a key lock for aifording access to the inside of the chute only to the proper authorities.

- 'JOSEIH WARREN CUTLER.

-Witnesses:

M. 'l. WAGDON, REGINALD G. FnncK. 

